Impossible
by sadasfrig
Summary: Maddie hates Phantom, yet loves her son. When new evidence arrives after getting samples of Phantom's DNA, what will Maddie do when she realizes that there is more to Phantom than she ever thought possible. Not to mention her son Danny has been keeping secrets of his own. COMPLETE! Danny and Maddie bonding fic.
1. Chapter 1

**When I post this, the chapters will have been written already. I'm still working on my marauders story, Before We Died, and that WILL be finished, not to worry. But, I do have a case of writer's block, and I'm hoping that after I finish writing this, it will be cured.**

 **I do not own Danny Phantom or its characters. :p**

* * *

 _It was pitch black, here. Maddie looked around the empty expanse of space, not questioning why she was there, how she got there, or where this even was. No, she knew, in her heart, where she was. But it was never so bleak._

 _Danny's childhood was never this dark, so why was it now?_

 _A cry filled her ears, and instantly she began running forward. The sound, that noise, it was everywhere, coming at her in all sorts of directions._

 _"Danny!" Maddie yelled, his crying fueling her worry. Where was Danny?_

 _"Mommy!" Her three year old toddler, Danny, was suddenly right behind her, sitting on pavement. The skies were no longer dark space, just regular skies. He was no longer crying, just whimpering as he gazed back and forth between the scrape on his knee and his mother. Maddie hurried over to him._

 _"Oh, Danny," She tutted, picking him up to save him from his distress. "You've got to be more careful. Are you okay?"_

 _"Fell." Danny informed her gravely. "Stings." His eyes began to prick with tears at the thought._

 _"It'll be okay. It won't hurt for long." Maddie kissed his mess of pitch black hair, starting to carry him inside the house. They were at the front of the home, now._

 _Before she reached the door, though, Danny was gone; gone, like he had never been there in the first place._

 _"Danny?!" Maddie gasped, looking all around for her baby boy. He couldn't have just disappeared without a trace._

 _Suddenly, a familiar echo filled laughed right behind her. Maddie swung around, knowing who it was, who it had to be._

 _"Phantom!" Maddie growled, her eyes swelling with tears. "What did you do with Danny? Tell me, tell me now or I'll-"_

 _"You'll what?" Phantom's neon green eyes glowed maliciously. "Kill me?"_

Maddie sat up in bed, sweating coldness all over herself and the sheets. Her heart was pounding, racing from the odd, terrible dream she had just witnessed. Paranoia settled in her bones, but she knew that Danny, her seventeen year old son, was sleeping soundly in his room. She had just checked on him a few hours before.

A loud beep erupted from the Fenton Ghost Radar that she kept on her nightstand. Wiping her sleep filled eyes, she reached over to view the screen, and scowled as she recognized the extremely strong ecto-signature radiating off one ghost. No other ghost in Amity Park had an ecto-signature quite like Phantom.

Jack snored from his place in the bed, his pink pajamas gleaming from the moonlight that had slipped in through the window blinds. Maddie, not wanting to wake him up, crept out of bed smoothly, barely making a sound. Jack never even moved.

Since she sleeps in her hazmat suit, Maddie was quick out the door, hopping into the Fenton RV before speeding away into the night. Phantom wasn't far at all, only a mile or two away.

Phantom. Maddie liked to think of him as her greatest enemy. Countless times she had _almost_ captured him, _almost_ been able to finally experiment on him, _almost_ gotten away with him in her clutches; but, Phantom _always_ escaped.

The town of Amity Park loved the ghost boy. He ( _it_ , her mind corrected) had them convinced that he was a good ghost (which don't _exist_ ), that he was a hero, that he only wanted to help the people. But, Maddie was a scientist trained in the study of the paranormal. Ghosts are mere projections of their past life, incapable of feeling, emotions, or being _good_.

A neon green bolt of energy came racing from the other side of the street. Maddie narrowed her violet eyes, turning quickly onto the road that the bolt had come from.

A glowing form flew the air like a bullet, a ghostly tail following behind him closely. Maddie drew out her trust, regular ray gun, the only one she knew would work right. Not that she'd ever tell him, but as soon as Jack began to disassemble and reassemble all of their other weapons, she knew she had to hide it from him.

"I'll use your pelt as a rug, ghost boy!" The fierce looking, armored ghost threatened as it was sucked into a...Fenton Thermos?

Maddie stared in shock and anger. Phantom had stolen a gadget right from under their noses!

The ghost just rolled his eyes at the failed attempt to scare him, and tucked the thermos away at his side. Maddie finally jumped out from the RV, aiming her weapon at the flying form before he could get away.

"Not this time, Phantom!"

Her voice rang through the empty streets like an air horn, making the ghost jump. Slowly, he turned around, facing her.

"What'd I do this time?" He ran a hand through his shock of white hair, ruffling it up even more. Green eyes stared right into her core, making her shiver.

"What _haven't_ you done?" She kept him in her sights, finger carefully resting on the trigger. "Float down. Now. _Slowly_."

Phantom did so, albeit hesitantly. He kept his arms up where she could see them, even though she hadn't asked him to do so.

Maddie narrowed her eyes even more, if that was possible. She'd never hated anyone (any _thing_ ) more than Phantom. "What are you doing with _my_ thermos?"

Realization flicked in Phantom's expression. His mouth formed the shape of an _oh_. "Well, uh," He paused, not meeting her eyes, instead keeping his head down. "I needed to use it. It's very useful, you know-"

"Shut up! That doesn't answer my question. How did you get it, ghost?" Maddie spat out. Phantom sat still, not daring to move.

"I," Phantom reached to scratch the back of his neck, but at the sudden movement Maddie pulled down hard on the trigger.

 _Click._

"What?" Maddie asked no one in disbelief. "No!" She threw the gun in anger, knowing it was stupid but did it anyway.

Phantom was now suddenly overjoyed. _Ha,_ he thought to himself. _A misfire!_

Before Maddie had time to react, Phantom took off, turning invisible as he did so. The woman screamed into the empty street, gripping her hair while the gun now lay on the cold, hard ground.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" She yelled, kicking her feet on the ground. "This is not the end, Phantom! I _will_ get my hands on you if it's the _last thing I do!_ " With that, she took off running to the Fenton RV, forgetting her gun to lay on the street.

...

...

"This is not the end, Phantom! I _will_ get my hands on you if it's the last thing I do!"

Danny watched from behind a building, completely hidden from sight.

 _(She doesn't know, she doesn't know, she doesn't know.)_

There was no way he could tell her. She _hates_ him. Danny didn't even know his mother could hate something so much. Sure, she had always freaked out when it came to ghosts, but she's never made personal grudges against them. They were just everybody's problem. But, him? Phantom was Maddie's worst enemy, it seemed.

Danny sighed as the wind whipped his hair in his face. He didn't bother to get it out. It was cold, he could tell, but it didn't affect him; not like it used to. Danny smiled at the memories of childhood, when it would be a snow day and his parents would help him gather up all of his warm clothes, Maddie kissing him all over once he and Jazz returned to drink hot chocolate.

It was normal, then.

He wondered distantly if it would ever be normal again, even if they did know his secret. Danny tried to picture Maddie still being his loving mother while loving his other side, too; it was almost laughable to think about.

And now she knows he has the Fenton Thermos. _Great,_ Danny rolled his eyes. _Just great._

That would be nearly impossible to explain without making him sound evil. _Oh, I stole it from your own lab! Nice portal, by the way, it killed me when I saw it! Literally!_

Danny laughed at his own joke though he didn't find it very funny. Suddenly, an odd wetness rolled down his cheek, making him stop moving for a second.

Quickly, he looked up at the skies, checking to see if it was starting to rain, but, no, it wasn't. It wasn't cloudy at all that night. Danny moved to bring his hand up to touch his face, and when he pulled back, it was wet, too.

Another drip rolled down his cheek, and with it came a shaky breath and a hiccup. Danny sniffed, realizing what it was. A tear.

Was he...crying? He hadn't cried in, well, he didn't remember. Danny coughed, quickly wiping away the rest of the tears and breathed in deeply. No, he wouldn't cry. Not now.

Danny flew away from his hiding spot. It was safe now, anyway, and he had to get home before his mother realized that Danny Fenton was not there.

A glint of light caught his eye from the ground, making him stop midair. He flew around, eyebrows furrowing as he inspected the odd gleam. Slowly, he flew back down close to where his mother had previously had him held up, and soon he realized what the gleam was.

The gun.

Moonlight was reflecting off its metal surface, at least that's what Danny assumed. A coldness settled into his chest. His _mom_ was going to shoot him with that, and probably more.

( _She doesn't know, she doesn't know, she doesn't know.)_

Danny reached down to inspect the loathed object, turning it around in his hands. It was cold, the handle no longer warm from Maddie's hands. The trigger, thankfully, had not _triggered_ anything. But, he still hated it.

Knowing he couldn't very well _return_ it, Danny chose the only reasonable option; to destroy it. Without hesitation, Danny disintegrated the weapon while it was in his hands, and threw the dust off into the pavement. The wind blew the remains away.

Danny glared at the ground before taking off into the sky. Flying, flying helps. Most of the time. From even here, he could see the large "Fenton Works" sign just a distance ahead. It was good thing he was close to home, Danny reasoned.

As he got closer, he could see his bedroom through the large window. No one was in there, his door was shut, and the bed still looked like someone was sleeping in it, thanks to the pillows and blankets. Danny sighed. It was safe.

Almost as soon as he was about to fly through the window, his bedroom door opened. By instinct, he went invisible yet again.

Maddie stood in the doorway, a troubled expression on her face. A stab of guilt hit Danny in the chest. He kept watching her, begging her silently not to look closer at the bed.

The woman stayed placed, just watching the "sleeping" form lay perfectly still in the bed. Danny bit his lip. There was no way she would buy this, not when she was looking so closely- oh, she's looked away.

Danny then realized she was staring straight at him. A gasp escaped his lips, but he soon realized that he was still invisible. Maddie turned her gaze somewhere else as soon as it had landed on him, anyway.

With Danny still watching, Maddie placed her face in her hands, and another gasp escaped his lips when he saw her shaking shoulders.

Was he really hurting her this badly?

Finally, Maddie looked back at the bed, a sad smile on her face. Danny saw her lips form the words _I love you_ before she shut his door, leaving him alone at last. He quickly phased through the window, settling on his bed quietly before switching back to his human self.

Without really meaning to, Danny wondered if she'd still be able to tell him that if she knew everything.

...

...

After exiting Danny's room, Maddie returned to her own, Jack still sound asleep from when she left him.

Danny.

Maddie felt more tears well up in her eyes. Her son, her baby boy, or, at least, he was _supposed_ to be. For a long time, though, he hasn't been much of either. The mother knew it couldn't just be her, it had to be something else, something that was keeping him from being all he could be. Terrible grades, not near enough sleep, just so, so different than who he used to be.

Danny used to trust her, used to tell her anything and believe she wouldn't tell. Now, she's lucky if she can even get him to speak without a lie.

 _Is it drugs, Danny?_

 _Do you need help?_

 _Did we do something wrong?_

 _Did I do something wrong?_

 _No, mom. I'm fine, mom. You didn't do anything wrong._

None of it makes sense. There is something _else._ She can see it, hiding right behind his eyes. Hear it, right in the mix of his excuses.

He's lying to her. He's _always lying._

Maddie cried into her hand.

...

...

"Have a good day at school, sweetie." Maddie smiled as Danny walked out the door. Immediately as it was shut, the smile fell off her face. Danny didn't even _try_ this morning, Maddie thought angrily. The least he could do was _try_ to reassure her that everything was well.

Maddie let her thoughts carry her away.

 _He's not trying, today. Maybe-maybe that's not a bad thing._

 _He's as tired of this as you are. Don't be hard on him._

 _If he's tired he'll_ tell _me. He'll finally tell me._

"Honey?" Maddie asked Jack, who was still eating breakfast at the dinner table.

"Yeah?" Jack shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. The side of Maddie's mouth quirked as she wondered whether she should be finding this funny or annoying.

"Have you," Maddie sat down before continuing. "I know we've talked about it before, but, have you noticed anything else? I just can't put my finger on it."

Jack pushed away his cereal. Usually, Jack's happy go lucky personality was always visible. But, when serious talks about Danny came up, or any of his kids, for that matter, Jack was just as worried as any other parent.

"I don't know. He doesn't really talk to me anymore, so I wouldn't be able to tell." He stared at Maddie's eye's with his own blue ones; they matched their kids' own.

"You never told me that." Maddie reached to hold his hand. "I wish I knew _something_. Just, _anything_ would be welcome at this point."

"He's a teenager. He'll grow out of it." But even as he said it, neither of them were convinced.

...

...

"Hey, Danny," Tucker welcomed him as he plopped his bag down on the lunch table. "Woah, what's wrong?"

"Uh," Danny ran a hand through his hair. "My mom almost _shot_ me last night. Would have, but it misfired."

"What's going on?" Sam questioned as she finally showed up. She could tell by the boys' faces that it was serious.

"My mom almost caught me last night, really, it's nothing." Danny waved it off, but Tucker and Sam shared a look.

"Danny, this is kind of a big deal. What if the gun hadn't misfired?" Tucker asked, not unkindly.

"I don't know." Danny muttered. "I would've gotten shot, I guess."

Sam blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better." Danny smarted off, though he immediately regretted it at her hurt expression. "Sorry. I'm not okay right now, but I will be."

They nodded slowly, wondering if what he was saying was true. "Well, what's the plan?" Tucker asked.

"What plan?"

"What are you gonna _do_?"

"Keep doing what I've been doing."

"Danny, one day that gun will go off. I," Sam coughed. " _We_ don't want you to get hurt. Or worse."

"Have you ever thought about just telling them?" Tucker added. "It's been, what, three years since the accident?"

"No." Danny said immediately. "No, you guys don't understand. My mom might hate ghosts, but she _hates_ Phantom. As in, she wants him _completely_ gone." Danny shuddered.

"Let's change the subject," Sam spoke up. "What do you guys want to do after school?"

Tucker lit up, though Danny cringed.

"What is it now?" Sam asked him.

"I can't, Sam," Danny rubbed his eyes. "I'm about to pass out. I was out all night, and even when I was home I didn't get much sleep."

Sam was quiet for a second. "It's okay. We can do it some other time. Get some sleep."

Danny smiled at his friends. He would always be eternally grateful for them.

"Thanks."

...

...

As soon as Danny was home, he climbed up the stairs to get to his bed. It wasn't dark out yet, but he was just _so tired._ Danny still felt guilty about not being able to go to the movies with Sam and Tucker, but it was just getting too much. His personal life and his ghost life were getting too involved with each other, and lately he hasn't been able to spend much time (other than school) with them at all. Not like they used to.

Sam and Tucker don't help him hunt ghosts like they used to, not with their own responsibilities getting in the way. The final exams were coming up shortly, and they all needed time and space to study.

Danny collapsed into his mattress, sleep engulfing him almost immediately. Thankfully, he had no dreams.

...

...

The feeling of cold settled into his chest and throat. Quickly, Danny opened his eyes just in time to see his breath.

 _You've got to be fucking kidding me._

Danny groaned into his pillow, wanting to punch it, the wall, his door, himself. His eyes flicked out the window, trying to guess what time it was. It was dark already, meaning he had slept for a few hours. That was more than he got last night, so Danny figured he could at least be grateful for that.

Changing into Phantom quickly, Danny slipped quietly through the window and flew away into the night sky, trying to find the ghost that was nearby. Very quickly, he saw it.

It was an ectopus.

Danny wanted to scream.

These stupid, stupid things are what's keeping him from sleep?

Danny fired bolt after bolt at the weaker ghost, taking all of his aggression out on the creature. Screaming, Danny thought about all that was going wrong, and suddenly all he could see was red. Just a moment later, his world was turned black.

...

 **First chapter is complete. Please let me know what you think! -Lexi**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter is here! Enjoy! Again, I'm still working on my other fics, but I've got major writer's block, but they WILL be finished. Please, if anyone really wants for me to update, leave a review. They motivate me more than you will ever know.**

 **:)**

...

...

Maddie heard her ghost radar go off for the second night in a row. Jack, this time, woke up as well, an excited grin filling his face. Quickly, Maddie reached over to check the ectosignature, and once again, the extremely strong signature of Phantom was recognized.

"Phantom." Maddie informed him, which only made his excitement grow. His excitement was very contagious, as Maddie also began to feel it.

They both hopped out of bed, grabbing the weapons they keep with them when they sleep as they did. It seemed like a race going down the stairs, Maddie only in the lead due to size. Jack didn't understand, though, how important it was to Maddie that she get to Phantom before anyone else did. Phantom was _hers._

Maddie slung the door open, almost flying outside to get in her vehicle when she realized the fight was coming from right in front of their house. Jack came tumbling out after her, slightly out of breath but ready all the same.

"You stay here, alright?" Maddie whispered. Phantom hadn't seen them, or noticed them at all, really. "I'll sneak around, get him from behind."

"You always get the fun part." Jack whispered back sadly, but at Maddie's pleading look, he nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you, sweetie." Maddie smiled, but it disappeared quickly as her mind was back on the task at hand.

Phantom flew closely at the ghost, which seemed to be some sort of octopus mutant, and didn't waste any time before firing away at him. Maddie observed, watching closely at how the balls of energy formed right after another. Phantom didn't look weakened at all, either.

The other ghost could only sit and let it happen, not able to get away. An odd, terrible, confusing feeling went up Maddie's throat. It almost felt like _pity._ She frowned. The only thing she could think of was _You are a monster._

But, Phantom obviously did not hear her thoughts, and instead his attack worsened, him screaming out of what, whether anger, madness, or sadness, Maddie didn't know, but whatever it was, it was _scary._

Jack readied his own weapon, missing the target purposefully (or accidentally? Maddie couldn't be sure) to distract him. To their surprise, Phantom didn't look like he noticed. The ghost was no longer moving. If it had been alive in the first place, it would've most definitely been dead.

Taking Phantom's unawareness to her advantage, Maddie fired her own weapon. The blast hit Phantom's snowy white head, and Maddie smiled as she watched the ghost fall from the sky and crash into the ground.

Quickly, Maddie and Jack ran up to him, still keeping their guns out in front of them in case it was a trick. But, upon further inspection, it was obvious that the ghost was knocked out cold.

"Good work, Mads!" Jack cheered, clapping his wife on the back. Not roughly, of course.

Maddie beamed, though she was more proud of herself than anything. "You did wonderful, too."

"Do you think he'd wake up if we used the Fenton Thermos?" Jack voiced his concern. Maddie thought for a moment.

"Let's just carry him in. He looks stable enough."

Jack nodded, happy to help. They both bent down to examine even closer, prodding him with their weapons.

"Yep, just what I thought. Very stable." Maddie sat back up as soon as Jack scooped the ghost up in his arms. Jack still looked happy, though Maddie knew that if she were to carry _Phantom_ of all things, she wouldn't be happy.

"Let's hurry back. I don't want to risk anything." Maddie added, ready to finally start her examination.

Jack began to walk quickly, though he was careful not to shake Phantom too much; if he accidentally woke up, there was no way to be sure that they would catch him.

Thankfully, the house was only a few yards away, and they quickly entered it then the lab. There was no time to waste.

Jack laid the ghost on the examination table, already beginning to tie him down. Phantom still lay unconscious. Maddie snapped on rubber gloves, preparing for something she had been waiting a _long_ time for.

Maddie lay a tentative finger on Phantom's cheek, feeling beneath it to see just how stable Phantom was. "Jack!" Maddie gasped. "Feel this!"

Jack, now also wearing gloves, poked the ghost right in the face. "Wow! It feels like he has a very strong bone structure."

Phantom suddenly furrowed his eyebrows, groaning out of annoyance. He tried to move his arms to swat around his face, but quickly realized he couldn't.

"What-?" Phantom blinked his eyes open before gasping. "Mo-Maddie!" Maddie grinned smugly.

"And me!" Jack added. They both ignored him.

"It's about time you wake up, Phantom. We've got a lot in store, and I'd like it better if you were awake for it." Maddie informed him, making him pale even more than he already was.

"First, though, it's time to talk." Maddie slammed her fist on the table right beside Phantom's head, making him jump. "You have an extremely strong, stable body. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have actual bones. Why is that? What makes _you_ so different?"

Phantom glared into her eyes. "Why are _you_ so obsessed with me?" He shot back. "Do you not have anything better to do?"

A slap sounded in the clean room. A sharp sting filled Phantom's right cheek.

"I think I will be the one asking questions around here, Phantom." Maddie glared right back, a strong hate-stronger than any type of hate she had before-settled in her heart. "Do we have an understanding?"

Phantom didn't move anything but his eyes, which were now pointed at his feet at the end of the table.

"Good." Maddie took his silence as a "yes". "May you pass me the tweezers, Jack?" She turned her tone to sweet for her husband.

"Of course!" Jack quickly handed her the tweezers.

"Thanks." Maddie gave him a smile, then turned her attention to Phantom, who was beginning to look more nervous by the second.

"What are you- _ouch_ , hey!" Phantom whined as Maddie yanked out multiple hairs out of his head. There was a pretty good amount, but he knew that it wouldn't show. His head of hair was very thick.

"Jack, the bag, please." Maddie ignored Phantom.

Jack opened a bag and held it out as Maddie placed the hairs in it. Phantom watched on, a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

"Maddie, look at that! He seems to be sweating." Jack pointed at the boy's hairline.

"Interesting," Maddie agreed. "Another bag, please." Maddie reached for a cotton swab, wiping it up before putting it in the bag. "In fact, just keep the bags ready."

Phantom didn't like where this was going. "Look, can we just stop for a minute-"

"Shut up, ghost!" Maddie yelled at him. "I have no time for your thoughts. You won't give me any answers, so why bother?"

Maddie suddenly remembered the time she told Danny that exact same sentence. Almost a year ago, and he had come home in the middle of the night looking beat up and tired. Maddie had never been more worried in her life.

He seemed so done with her, that night. So mad, and tired, and just _done_.

 _"Well?"_

 _Maddie knew what he was trying to say._

 _Aren't you going to ask me questions?_

 _"You won't give me any answers, so why bother?" Maddie sniffed, not realizing that she had tears pouring out of her eyes. In complete silence, she helped him clean his wounds._

 _"You wouldn't like the answers." Danny muttered finally, disappearing up the stairs and into his room and away from Maddie._

"You wouldn't like the answers." Phantom muttered, sounding small and scared and not at all like the powerful ghost he was. He still couldn't meet Maddie's eyes.

His words made Maddie angry. He couldn't have known, but it still was very personal to her. That was the moment Maddie realized that Danny would more than likely never confide in her.

Another slap filled the stale air. Phantom felt tears prick his eyes.

"Don't say another word." Maddie threatened coldly.

Phantom shut his mouth, closed his eyes, and leaned away from her close face. Her glare was so cold.

"Jack." Maddie straightened up. "Please hand me the syringe."

Phantom's eyes few open, and a gasp escaped him. He knew what that meant.

Jack carefully handed over the syringe. Phantom began to freak out, struggling against his restraints uselessly.

Without hesitation, Maddie stuck the syringe in Phantom's arm, and began to draw out the green, ectoplasmic liquid inside.

" _Agh-!_ " Phantom screamed in pain, gritting his teeth with his eyes tightly shut. Maddie seemed to be annoyed by this.

"Oh, stop your whining, we aren't stupid. Ghosts don't feel anything, unfortunately." Maddie looked genuinely upset that he couldn't feel pain, or so she thought.

"Of _course_ I feel things!" Phantom spoke loudly, his arm still throbbing painfully.

Maddie ignored this with a roll of the eyes. "Jack, please put this in the test tube. And, please be careful pouring it in." Maddie handed over the syringe.

Jack took it and carefully poured the glowing substance in the tube, then set it aside. Maddie seemed pleased with him.

"Please stop." Phantom had resorted to begging. This was going in a direction he had nightmares about. "Trust me, you don't want to do this."

"I do, Phantom." Maddie told him with no regret. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."

A thought passed into Phantom's mind. _Maybe you should tell her. Surely, she wouldn't do this to her son. She might even be okay with it._

No. That's just stupid. It hasn't gotten that serious yet. He can hold on longer than this.

"Jack, please hand me the scalpel."

"No." Phantom felt his heart drop. "No."

"Here you go!" The ghost boy watched the sharp, sterile object be passed over him.

"Oh my God." He closed his eyes. He couldn't see this.

"Shut up!" Maddie yelled as she lit a flame under the knife, turning it over to get each side. "Or I'll make you shut up."

 _This is not good, this is not goodthisisnotgood-_

"Just a little cut, first." Maddie talked to herself. "He might not be as stable as we think."

Phantom felt himself choke on his fear. Tears welled in his eyes, beginning to pour out onto his sore cheeks. _This is so wrong. This is your mother. This is your father. She's about to cut you open. You need to do something._

 _"_ Wait!" Phantom spoke shortly. "Wait, please, I'll answer your questions; no lies, I swear, I won't lie."

Maddie shook her head. "That's a lie in itself, Phantom." She lifted the scalpel. "Jack, get the bags ready. We're gonna need a lot."

A cold, slim object touched his chest, making him mutter incoherently. Maddie was cutting away at his suit, taking the scraps and putting them in a bag of their own.

"I've always wanted to study the suit." Maddie admitted to Jack, who nodded understandingly with a large smile on his face.

And then.

"Wait!" Danny screamed as soon as the scalpel was touching skin. "Wait! Maddie, I'm not-I'm not just a-a _ghost_ , I'm also your-I'm your _son!_ "

The scalpel stopped touching him. Instead, another slab, this one much, _much_ worse than the others, hit him in the face. Maddie was breathing hard and angry, tears sprouting in her eyes.

"I can't," Maddie cried into her hands. "How _dare_ you?! You're trying to get out of this by telling me your my- _my Danny_?!" Maddie seemed to break down, throwing the scalpel on the ground.

"I can't do this now, Jack." Maddie cried. "He's evil. He's so evil. Heartless. I need to see Danny."

Jack didn't seem to be as affected like Maddie was. "But, honey, you've been wanting to do this for so long. Don't give it up now. Danny is asleep, anyway." He was talking softly, like he was talking someone down from a ledge.

Maddie nodded. "You're right. You're right." She took a deep breath. "Ugh, okay, okay. Maybe-maybe do put that gag in his mouth."

Jack reached over to grab a piece of white cloth that was lying on the table, ready to be used just for this.

"No!" Phantom tried to dodge Jack's hands that were trying to get a hold of his head. "I'm not- _mmf!_ " Jack had gotten a hold of him before he could finish.

"That's much better." Maddie picked up the scalpel again, not bothering to sanitize it like she had done before.

She lifted it to meet his skin. Danny began to cry.

A door slammed open from above them.

"Da-Phantom!" Jazz screamed from the top of the stairs, already starting to run down them. A sharp breath of relief overtook Danny, tears still streaming down his face. Maddie sat down the scalpel.

"Jazz?!" Maddie ran over to meet her, but Jazz pushed her down with strength fueled with adrenaline.

Jack ran over to Maddie to help her up, confused more than angry. Maddie felt the same way.

"Jazz, honey what's-"

"Shut up!" Jazz yelled at her, turning her attention back to her little brother. She undid his restraints quickly. "Are you okay? Come on, come on, it's okay." She whispered reassuringly to him.

"I'm sorry." Danny whispered to her. "I should've told them a long time ago."

"Why are you _helping_ him, Jazz?!" Maddie was now furious. Her own daughter was tricked into thinking Phantom was good! If only she had known what he had just told them, she wouldn't be so keen to help.

Before this could escalate any further, Phantom flew out of the lab, then the house, and finally made it back outside.

"Good going!" Maddie yelled at her daughter angrily. "You let him get away!"

Jazz just shook her head, beyond angry, but it wasn't like she didn't know that they had no idea.

"One day, you'll thank me."

With that, she walked out of the lab, never looking back.

Maddie turned her attention back to the examination table. They did get _some_ things, at least. But, it wasn't the things that Maddie was most intrigued about. The things that were inside that couldn't be drawn out through a syringe.

But, now she _did_ have an excuse to go see Danny.

"I'll-I'll clean this up tomorrow. You should go back to sleep. I'm gonna go see Danny."

"No, I'll clean it up." Jack motioned her to go on with a small smile. "I wouldn't be able to go to sleep anyway."

Maddie returned the smile. "Thank you." She then turned around, walking out of the lab and into the living room, the pitch black of night staining the walls with its color. A shiver ran down her spine.

Climbing the staircase, Maddie's legs felt tired and weighted, like she was dragging boulders behind her. Suddenly, she was facing his door. It, for some reason, now didn't feel as inviting. Her hand lingered on the doorknob. A heartbeat was pounding in her hand. Taking a breath, she flung the door open.

And with a terrible, cold fear, she saw that Danny's room was missing one thing; Danny.

"Danny?!" Maddie shrieked with terror. He had just been sleeping! Quickly, Maddie tore open his bedding, not expecting but hoping that he would be buried in the covers, safe and sound. But, just like she knew already, he wasn't.

Maddie burst back into the hallway. "Danny!" She screamed just as Jazz was running out of her room, no longer looking as angry.

"Mom?" Jazz asked, a concerned look growing on his face.

"Jazz, have you seen your brother?" Maddie gripped her daughter's shoulders, her face as white as a sheet.

"I-" Before Jazz could finish, Jack ran up to the lab, his feet booming as they pounded against the hard floor.

"What's going on?" His voice boomed just the same as his feet. A worried expression was very apparent.

"I can't find Danny! What if Phantom's-what if he's done something to him?" Maddie sounded so sad, looked so lost. "He was just here a few minutes ago, I'm sure of it."

"Mom, I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for this." Jazz interrupted. "He's probably with his friends."

 _Oh! His friends!_ "Of course." Maddie nodded, ready to believe anything. "I'll just-I'll call them right now." She nodded again.

Jack looked back and forth between Jazz and Maddie, not knowing what to say to alleviate their stress. Hell, he was starting to freak out, too. Jazz, probably smarter than both of them, was almost always right. She would be right about this, too, he reassured himself.

Maddie walked to the kitchen in a daze, blinking over and over as she looked for something that she knew she would never find until Danny returned back into her arms, safely without any marks. It was a wild goose chase, though; she would never, ever find that. She grabbed her phone off the counter, flipping it open to view her contacts. First, Tucker. That's where she wanted him to be the most.

A ring. Then, "Hello?"

"Hi, uh, it's Maddie." Maddie spoke carefully into the phone, trying not to raise any alarm. "Is Danny with Tucker, or over there at all?"

"Not that I know of, no." Mr. Foley replied. "I can put you on the phone with Tucker, if you'd like."

"Um, yes, please."

" _Tucker! It's Mrs. Fenton, she wants to speak with you._ " A second passed with no noise. "Mrs. Fenton?" Tucker's voice came out through the phone.

"Is Danny with you? Or do you know where he is?" Maddie asked him, praying he would have an answer.

"He's," Tucker stopped talking for a moment. It felt like an eternity. "He's not here. Probably with Sam, you know. Yeah, that's probably where he's at."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Maddie felt her hope lessen. "Bye." Tucker didn't get a chance to tell her the same before she hung up, already dialing Sam's number.

"Mrs. Fenton?" Sam answered. She sounded confused, which made Maddie even more worried. If she's confused, then that means she wasn't expecting her to call, which means that Danny isn't with her-

"Mrs. Fenton? Hello?" Sam asked again. Maddie was jolted out of her thought.

"Hi, Sam. I-We can't find Danny. Is he with you? Do you know where he is?"

"You, you can't find him?" Sam sounded worried. "Have you tried Tucker's yet?"

"Yes. He wasn't there." Maddie felt like he crying. If he's not with them, then where could he be?

"I'm sure he's okay. He can take care of himself. He'll come back." Sam tried to console her, noticing how worried she sounded over the phone.

"You're right." Maddie nodded. "He'll be fine. He's fine. Thank you, Sam. I'll call you back when I find him, alright?"

"Okay. Bye."

Maddie hung up the phone, and cried into her hand.

"He's not with Sam or Tucker." She informed Jazz and Jack both. Jazz was staring at the ground, no emotion apparent on her face. Jack's eyebrows were turned up in worry.

"He might just had needed fresh air." Jazz spoke, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"No." Maddie sniffed. "No, he disappeared when Phantom escaped." Jazz gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. They both knew what Maddie had meant by her words.

"You're saying this is my fault?" Jazz asked, her voice nearly breaking.

"I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Phantom has Danny, we need to focus on that." Maddie set her jaw, a terrifying glint in her eyes like a mother bear.

Jack gulped. "We'll do whatever it takes. But it's only been a few hours since we've last seen him, right? We shouldn't assume the worst."

Maddie, for some reason, was mad at this. Did he think that she was overreacting? Her son was missing! Jack seemed to notice her sudden change in attitude.

"Honey, we're gonna find him. It's going to be okay." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder gently. Maddie felt like crying again.

"We will." Maddie turned away from him and Jazz. "Let's go."

...

 **Second chapter is finished! Please let me know if you liked it! -Lexi**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third chapter everyone! I truly am having so much fun writing this, I just have always wanted to write a Danny and Maddie bonding fic, and here I am! As I have already said, I will be updating my current stories that are still WIPs. I don't know when, but I'm hoping this helps my writer's block.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

...

...

Jazz did not come with them. Maddie didn't figure she would. Danny was the one that had shown interest in ghosts out of the two. Danny, who has been missing for over two hours that they know of. Maybe even longer than that.

Jack hopped in the drivers seat so Maddie could keep her eye on the ghost radar. But, they soon realized it was pointless. Phantom's ecto-signature was never picked up. In fact, no ghost was showing up that night.

"He's gotta be somewhere, Jack." Maddie started crying and never stopped at some point in their second hour of searching. They drove around through the main parts of Amity Park, the hidden parts, even the back roads that were not even paved, just dirt.

The sun began to come up at one point. Jack sighed at the sight of it, his eyes puffy and red.

"We can't find him if we're exhausted, Maddie."

Maddie wiped her eyes. Tears were still pouring out. "Jazz hasn't called. He's not home."

"We're gonna find him. He's somewhere, okay?" Jack took a turn, already heading back home. Maddie didn't seem to notice. She was already asleep.

 _"Okay, Danny, blow out the candles!" Maddie held her camera out, ready to remember this moment forever and ever._

 _Danny stuck out his tongue, and put out the little flame with his drool. He grinned a toothless grin, and clapped his hands._

 _"Good job!" Maddie felt like crying. Already one year old? Where did the time go?_

 _"That's my little man!" Jack clapped along with the baby, ruffling Danny's black hair that was beginning to get very thick. It matched Jack's almost perfectly._

 _"Momma, the cake has spit on it." Jazz informed her like Maddie didn't know. Maddie smiled and laughed._

 _"That's why we bought two. He gets his own to eat, a smash cake, Jazzy."_

 _Jazz lit up brightly. "Thank goodness!" She smiled, revealing two front teeth missing from her mouth._

 _The adults laughed just in time for Danny to start smashing his tiny fists into the specially prepared cake that was just for him._

Maddie realized she was smiling when she woke up. Her dream wasn't really a dream at all, just a memory. Danny's first birthday was such a happy time, she remembered.

"It's time to go in, honey." Jack told her, his hair no longer as black. His eyes looked older, too.

Maddie nodded, numbly. She helped herself out of the Fenton RV, walked slowly inside, and collapsed on the couch. Sleep took over her. This time, there was no more dreams left.

...

...

Danny sat on a tree limb wearing only his shirt and pants. He wiped the black hair that kept falling into his eyes out of his face, and sighed. It was cold, that night. The wind was only blowing a little, but even then the temperature was not the type to be wearing a short sleeved shirt outside. He wanted to switch to Phantom so badly. The cold wasn't a big deal when he was a ghost.

But his mom would see him on the radar. And if that happened, he didn't know what he would do. Danny smiled almost maniacally to himself. Maddie had no clue that he knew about her ghost radar that she keeps with her at almost all times, but he's known about it for years. Just another secret. Just another lie.

Falling asleep wasn't possible. If he fell asleep, he'd fall off his tree. If he fell asleep, he would fall to his _permanent_ death. Danny tried to picture explaining _that one_ to his mom.

As the night went on, Danny forgot why he was sitting out in the middle of the woods on a tree limb at an ungodly hour of night. Was he hiding? Why was he hiding? He could go home, and they'd take him back, and he could keep living with his secret that makes his mother cry and unknowingly try to dissect him to "figure him out".

He doesn't want that. So, why was he out here again?

Jazz's voice kept creeping into his thoughts, telling him that _You should tell them, Danny, before something happens. What if they catch you, Danny? What if they hurt you? You need to tell them. You were their son before all of this, Danny, and you are their son now. They will never hate you._

Always right. Danny picked a piece of bark off his tree with a sad smile on his face. _Always right._

An odd, nonexistent pain would flare up now and again from where the scalpel almost cut him, and it always had him choking back tears.

 _I told them, they didn't believe me. Now what? What do I do?_

 _I told them too late._

 _You still told them. And she slapped you. Your face is still sore. You don't do anything. You don't owe them anything._

 _Yes, you do. You're their son and you've been lying to them for almost four years. They don't deserve this._

 _I don't deserve this._

"Ugh!" Danny screamed into the forest, just to make a noise. "I'm! Going! Crazy!"

To prove himself right, he laughed at this. Then, he cried at this. No one was there to laugh or cry with him, so he held himself as the cold bit at his skin and the sounds of the forest kept him alert enough not to accidentally fall asleep.

The sky seemed a little bit lighter than it was a few minutes ago. Or, was he just going crazy? Well, he wasn't sure, but the sky definitely looked a little lighter. Danny knew he had almost made it, but he had never been more tired in his life.

He resorted to screaming himself awake.

"Agh!" Danny screamed as loud as he could at the top of his lungs. A few birds flew out of the trees surrounding him, chirping out of annoyance.

"It's Britney, bitch!" Danny shrieked into the woods, laughing at the echo. Crickets and frogs chirped in agreement, or, at least, he liked to think they did.

"I'm so tired!" He yelled, wiping at his eyes. "I'm so fucking tired!"

The sky was definitely looking lighter. Danny knew that if his parents were still looking for him, they were almost done. Even they had to sleep. Hazily, Danny wondered which house was quicker to get to from his hiding spot. Sam's, or Tucker's.

Definitely Sam.

After just a few more minutes of waiting, the sky was finally light enough to where he felt comfortable changing into Phantom. Almost instantly, the cold left him alone, making him sigh with relief.

Quickly, he leaped off the limb with no hesitation, and flew as fast as he could to Sam's house, hoping to sleep just for a few hours before facing his own family again.

...

...

Maddie opened her eyes to the sound of a door shutting. Blinking them open, she turned to the front door, and nearly fell off the couch.

"Danny?!" She crawled up out of the floor and ran over to him, engulfing him in a strong hug. "Danny." She whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

"Mom-" Danny couldn't talk, she was suffocating him.

"Oh," Maddie loosened her hold on him. "My-oh, Danny, what happened? Where were you?"

Danny sniffed. The cold and the tears had his nose stopped up. "I was just," Danny shrugged, as if it explained it all. Before either of them had time to say anything else, Jack came running in.

"Danny!" Jack hugged both of them.

"Danny's back?" Jazz came from the staircase, and Danny tried to say "yes", but his voice was muffled by his dad's arms.

"Okay, okay, let me go, now!" Danny slid his way out of the large hug. "I've really got to take a shower-"

"Not so fast." Maddie let him go. "What happened to you? Did-did Phantom do this?" She tenderly touched the hand-shaped bruise that covered his right cheek. Danny winced, remembering.

"It looks like someone slapped you." Maddie whispered, more to herself than anything. "Who did this? Tell me right now, Daniel!"

"Mom, it's nothing-"

"Tell me!" Maddie yelled, her eyes filled with fear, anger, and worry. A stab of guilt hit Danny in the chest, but how would he explain that _she_ was the one who inflicted the damage?

"Mom." Danny shook his head. "I'm okay. It's over now."

"You're not okay," Maddie shook her head fiercely. "I'm not okay, either."

Jack looked at Jazz, willing her silently to follow him down to the lab. She understood what he was trying to say; _They need privacy._ They both walked away, leaving the mother and son alone.

"Mom, please, don't do this to me." Danny shook his head, too, tears welling up in his eyes. "You don't understand."

"That's not fair! You haven't even told me anything! How will I understand if you haven't told me?" Danny pulled away from her, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "You aren't going to tell me, are you?" Maddie gasped, begging him with her eyes.

Danny took a breath. He couldn't stop shaking. This was nothing like when he was Phantom. When he was Phantom, and he told her, he would be asking for love. He was telling her that he was her son. But, now he's Danny Fenton, and he's telling her that he's a ghost that she's been hunting for years, almost cut open only hours ago, and slapped so hard that there is a nasty bruise on his face.

It's different.

"I've," Danny took a deep breath, and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Maddie's lip began to quiver. "I've already told you." Danny whispered, finally looking back at her. She looked more confused than ever.

"What?" Maddie whispered, sounding lost. "What do you-Danny, wait!" Maddie shouted after his retreating form, but it was too late; he was already buried away in his room with the door locked, keeping her away.

"You've already," Maddie's eyebrows turned in thought. "What?"

If she wasn't confused and frustrated before, than, well, now she _really_ was.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Danny closed his eyes, and took deep breaths. He couldn't help but think that out of all the ghosts he had fought, all the times he could've _really_ died, he had never done anything more braver than tell her that she already knew.

But, he also couldn't help but feel like a coward.

...

...

Danny stayed in his room for hours. It was already starting to get dark. He needed to talk, she needed to talk, so, finally, Maddie just gave up waiting on him. She tore up the stairs, and knocked on his door.

There was no noise.

Maddie knocked again.

Silence. Then, "What?" Danny sounded sleepy, like he had just been woken up.

"Let me in," Maddie demanded. "Please." She added as an afterthought.

More silence. A few footsteps on carpet. The door opened.

Danny looked at her carefully. He didn't know what she knew. "Yes?"

"Please, let me in." Maddie stepped in anyway, not giving him time to answer. Danny stood by the door, watching her every move.

"What?"

"Danny, I know you're lying." Maddie sat down on his bed. "You've been lying to me for, how long, four years? That's since you were _fourteen_ , Danny!"

"Mom, I-"

"No! Don't, Daniel! You have not told me anything, at all! If you have, I don't remember it, and I think I would remember something that important." Maddie clenched her fists. "Are you just trying to hurt me?"

"No!" Danny didn't like where this was going. "You don't think I'm tired of this, too?"

"Obviously not, or you would tell me!" Maddie shot back.

"It's not as simple as you might think, okay?" Danny gripped his hair. "I know you know something is up, and you're right, I will admit that, but I just _can't_ tell you. Mom, I can't tell you. Please, just understand that I will never be able to tell you. It was so much _easier_ when you didn't-when I wasn't-I have told you before. It was easier, then, I guess, I don't know-" He was starting to ramble, so Maddie interrupted him.

"Danny, are you in a gang?" Maddie gasped. Danny rolled his eyes.

"No."

"But, the slap."

"No, that's something," Danny winced. "Else."

"So, what you are telling me is," Maddie stood up. "The only way I'll ever know is if I figure it out on my own?"

Danny gulped. "I guess."

"Fine." Maddie began to walk out of the room. "Than that's exactly what I'll be doing."

...

...

The next morning, Danny drove off in a hurry to school. Maddie didn't even have a chance to tell him goodbye. She huffed, but she had no time for it right now. Quickly, Maddie hurried down into the lab. A full day of experimenting with Phantom's DNA awaited her.

For sure, Maddie wanted to try out some electrical currents. Certain ghosts react differently to electricity, and the results are all based on the ghost's stability, cause of death, and the strength of their ecto-signature. Most of the time, the ectoplasm just bubbles for a moment before settling down, but sometimes it can evaporate completely.

And since hair on a ghost is not really hair, it should have a similar effect.

First, Maddie took out a single strand of his hair, and placed it under a microscope. That was when she noticed that Phantom's hair looks identical to actual hair. There was virtually no difference between her own and his, besides color. Maddie furrowed her eyebrows. This was strange.

Most of the time, ghost "hair" under the microscope turns into a blurry mass. There has even been cases that when the hair is first removed from the ghost's body, it evaporates immediately. Maddie figured that this just meant that his structure was more stable than originally thought.

Grabbing the tweezers, Maddie placed the strand of hair back in the bag.

Next, the ectoplasm. Maddie took a dropper and squeezed up only a small amount of it, placing a tiny amount on a blank piece of glass that they used for their microscope.

The ectoplasm looked regular, as every ghost's "blood" does. Maddie wasn't surprised with this, and turned her attention now to the fun part.

Electricity!

Maddie grabbed a few different hairs back out of the bag, and placed them on a special table that, once started, will shoot electric currents up and down it's surface. Very easy to get hurt on, but very useful. Maddie pressed the button that would trigger the electricity.

The hair on the table appeared to glow, and Maddie watched on in interest for a few seconds before turning off the electric table. Then, she looked closer at the hair, which was no longer glowing.

Instead, they were pitch black, like a raven's wing. At first, Maddie figured she burned them, but when she realized that there wasn't any burn smell in the room, she realized that was impossible.

She picked up a few pieces of the now black hair, and placed it under the microscope. Just as she thought, they were not burnt. No, they were just a different color.

Interesting.

Maddie put the hair back on the table, and pushed the button down one more time, just to see what would happen. She had more, anyway, in case anything wrong were to happen.

The black hair glowed. Maddie sat, perplexed, before turning off the table.

And, once again, the hair was white, unnatural. Ghostly. Maddie quickly jotted this down in her notebook, then pressed the button down again.

The hair glowed. It turned black. She pressed the button. The hair glowed, and it was white. Maddie did this five more times. This was one of the strangest things she had ever witnessed in all of her years of science and paranormal studies.

Finally, Maddie decided to worry about it later, and instead turned her focus on the ectoplasm. Placing only a dot of ectoplasm on the table, Maddie pressed the button, and, just like the hair, it glowed.

Maddie turned the machine off, and what she saw made her heart lurch.

The dot of green ectoplasm was now dark, metallic red. If Maddie hadn't known any better, she would've said it was...blood? Maddie squeezed the dark substance up into a different dropper, placed it on a clean glass plate, and put it under the microscope.

Due to being a scientist for most of her life, Maddie has learnt to recognize blood under the microscope. Red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, platelets.

A cold, heavy weight settled in Maddie's stomach. The ectoplasm was no longer ectoplasm; it was human blood.

This was not possible. This was _not possible._ Ghosts aren't supposed to have human blood. Quickly, Maddie checked herself for cuts, any open wounds that might have bled into the samples, but she knew immediately that this was not her own. This was-well, it looked like this was _Phantom's_ blood.

"This isn't possible." Maddie muttered. She sat in a daze. Why did everything have to be so confusing, so hard?

Quickly, put away the ectoplasm, the hair, and the single drop of blood, and left the lab.

Maddie didn't go back down for the rest of the day.

...


	4. Chapter 4

**It's four in the morning. I should be asleep. So, of course, I'm not. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

...

"Hey, Danny?" Maddie asked while they were sitting down for dinner. After what happened in the lab that day, Maddie felt useless with all of her confusion, so she made them a four-course meal.

Danny looked up, spaghetti hanging from his mouth. Jazz had gone back to her college campus that day after visiting with them, so dinner was now strange to all of them without all of their family.

"Yes?" Danny asked after he had got done chewing. Again, with the watching, Maddie noticed. His eyes were on her like a hawk's.

"The night that you," Maddie gestured with her hands. "Left, I guess. That was the same night that Phantom escaped."

Danny felt fear course through him. _She knows, she knows, she knows-_

"So, I was just thinking," Maddie grabbed his hand. Danny wanted to disappear. "Was it him? Was he the one who slapped you? Did he hurt you, make you run away? Because I _swear_ Danny, if he ever laid a finger on-"

"No, mom!" Danny shook his head. "Phantom had nothing to do with it." A terrible, guilty wave of relief washed over him. She doesn't know.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I promise."

Maddie nodded. "Well, okay."

"Speaking of, I haven't seen any signs of the ghost boy." Jack spoke up. "I'm hearing stuff around town about it now."

"Trust me, I know." Maddie said grimly. "I've been glued to my radar."

Danny stood up with his plate. "Getting seconds, honey?" Maddie asked.

"Ah, no, I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight." Danny sat his plate in the sink, already walking up the steps.

Jack and Maddie looked at each other. "It's only six in the afternoon." Jack said loudly to her, waving his hands as he spoke. Maddie shrugged in reply.

After dinner, and they had cleaned up the kitchen, they sat in the living room and watched a cheesy movie. It was amazingly bad. Jack fell asleep somewhere halfway through it, so Maddie just stopped watching it altogether. She was tired, too, and she needed to tell Danny goodnight anyway.

When Maddie reached his room, she immediately noticed it was empty, though she could hear Danny's voice coming from the open window. He was on the roof again. They've warned him plenty of times not to do it, but, now, Maddie doesn't really care if he does it or not.

" _I know, Sam,_ "Danny's voice carried to Maddie. " _We can go to the movies anytime, though. If we're gonna do something, we should do something we haven't done yet._ "

Maddie smiled, and poked her head out the window to find him. "Danny-" Maddie gasped, her smile disappearing. "Phantom!" She yelled, a growl in her throat.

The ghost boy's eyes were wide as he realized he had been caught. "I was just leaving! I promise!"

But, Maddie was already pulling out the weapon she always kept on her person. "Why do you have Danny's phone?" Maddie asked with a strange look in her eyes.

If he has Danny's phone, than that means that Danny lied to her. Danny and Phantom _have_ been in contact with each other. Before Phantom could come up with an answer, Maddie shoots at him. The bolt of energy hit him in the chest, making a loud _oof_ sound. Immediately, Phantom falls back to the roof, unable to fly.

His head is swimming. His vision is darkening. Maddie is getting closer to him. "What?" Phantom tried to speak, but his tongue suddenly didn't fit in his mouth. "Ugh. What was that?" The ghost coughed. Maddie rolled her eyes, as a cough is a sign of breathing. And ghosts do not breathe.

"Save the dramatics, ghost." Maddie began to tie him up, and the boy realized he couldn't find the strength to stop her. "You need to give me answers _right now_."

Phantom's head just rolled around, his eyes blinking sluggishly. Maddie knew that Phantom was capable of talking in this state, he just would be really dizzy.

"Why did your ectoplasm turn into blood? Human blood?" Maddie kept a gun trained on him. Phantom wanted to throw up.

"I-I don't know." He spoke slowly. Everything was spinning. "What-what did you do to me?"

"Shot you with a ghost inhibitor. You shouldn't be able to use your powers for a little bit." Maddie told him with a vicious smile. "Now, _I_ will be the one asking questions around here."

Phantom could only nod.

"When an electric current is applied to your ectoplasm, it turns into blood. Why? Ghosts don't _have_ blood. You go," Maddie frowned. "You go against _everything_ I've ever known. Do you know how that feels? To be a scientist and get hit by a new discovery that doesn't make _any_ sense?"

Phantom shook his head.

"I know you don't," Maddie spat out shortly. "You've been around Danny. You have his phone. He probably gave you the thermos. He's been lying to me." The gun whirred suddenly, bringing his attention back to focus. "And I have a feeling it's all your fault."

"I," Phantom swallowed, his green eyes trained on the weapon. "I had to borrow those both. I need them." Is that a lie? Yeah, but it's kinda true, too.

"For what? For _ghost_ hunting?" Maddie could laugh at his weak excuses. "That doesn't explain why you feel the need to call Danny's girlfriend at night."

Phantom almost said "She's not my girlfriend!" out of habit, but managed to stop himself.

"I borrow things from her sometimes, too," Phantom mumbled, his vision starting to return to him.

"Stay away from them. Stay _away_ from Danny! If I catch you doing anything that even _remotely_ involves him, I will hunt you down, and end your miserable after life."

"Okay," Phantom nodded his head like he understood. "Okay."

"Good." Maddie still had the gun aimed directly at his forehead. "Now, tell me. Just-tell me about the blood." Maddie looked so pale, so lost. Once again, Danny felt extremely guilty.

"I don't know. I don't know, either."

"The hair came back strange, too. The electric current was put through it, and it turned black."

"You probably burnt it." Phantom was suddenly reminded of his white hair, and flipped it out of his face by moving his head around.

"That's what I thought, too. But, I did the electric current again, and behold, white hair. Back and forth, white to black to white." Maddie shook her head. "That's not-ghosts can't change their colors." She was no longer talking to him in a taunting tone. Just a confused and frustrated one.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do!" Maddie picked her gun up again. Phantom didn't realize it wasn't pointed at him anymore. "Tell me right now, or I _will_ shoot you. I don't care about your answers anymore. I just want to be rid of you. For good."

Phantom, unfortunately, believed every word.

"Wait! Don't do anything," His voice was shaky, the gun making him even more nervous.

"I won't have to do anything if you tell me."

"I've," Phantom closed his glowing green eyes. "I've already told you."

Maddie was immediately reminded of what Phantom said to her when they had him captured the first time.

 _I'm not just a ghost._

 _I'm also your son._

Maddie felt tears begin to build up just as they had before. Did he not realize what he was _telling_ her? That her son was a _ghost,_ as in, _dead_?

"Shut up! Stop saying that! Ugh!" Maddie whirred the gun up again, and Phantom knew it was going to fire this time. "You are so _heartless_! Do you _enjoy_ hurting me?"

"No," Phantom shook his head. "No."

"Get out of here!" Maddie suddenly yelled. "I can't take this anymore. Get away! Go!" Phantom felt his strength begin to return to him, and suddenly he was floating.

Quickly, he made a move to run, and a bolt of energy from the gun nearly hit him in the shoulder.

"If I ever see you again," Maddie promised. "I will be the end of your afterlife."

Phantom, believing her, flew away, his hands and feet still tied together behind his back.

...

...

Secretly, the ghost flew back into the house as soon as Maddie exited his room, immediately going intangible to get the regular ropes off of him. Then, the familiar light traved up and down him, turning back into his human self.

Danny flopped on the bed. Things were now worse than ever. His mother now hated Phantom more than she ever did, and it was all because of the truth. He wasn't so sure things _would_ be different if she knew.

There was just so much uncertainty. Would her hate for Phantom overtake her love for Danny?

He just didn't know, anymore.

Danny found himself wishing that Jazz still lived at home, or was at least there, then. Jazz was the one with the answers, not him. But, she wouldn't be visiting until the next break, which was months away. He didn't have months. More like _hours._

Yawning, the boy curled up on his bed, and fell asleep, distantly wondering what his mother could be doing at that moment.

...

...

Maddie poured the entire bottle of ectoplasm on the electric table in a daze, not caring that she wouldn't be able to study it further. She was completely done with Phantom. Her eyes were puffy from crying. Once again, when she pressed the button, the green, glowing liquid turned into a dark, almost black red. The metallic iron smell of blood reached her nose, making her grimace.

It looked like a crime scene on the table.

The mother left it how it was, and sat at her table with her head down. Tears were threatening to pool out of her eyes again. Why is it that she's done everything wrong?

 _I've failed as a mother. I've failed as a scientist. I have failed._

Remembering Phantom's evil words, Maddie tried to straighten herself up. He was just _evil_ , he shouldn't be making her react in such a way if she knew he was lying. Maddie clenched her hair as she thought the same thing over and over.

 _What if he wasn't lying?_

Suddenly, she could hear her heart beat in her head. A breath escaped her. _What if he wasn't lying?_

 _"I'm not just a ghost, I'm your son!"_

 _"I've already told you."_

 _"I've already told you."_

 _"You wouldn't like the answers."_

 _"You wouldn't like the answers."_

 _"Mom."_

 _"Maddie."_

A terrible, painful cough escaped her. It soon turned into gags, and Maddie vomited. After everything was gone, she sat there dry heaving.

The blood. The hair-oh, the hair turned black! Black, just like-

The slap on Danny's face. She-she slapped Phantom-

That's why he wouldn't tell-

The phone, the Fenton Thermos.

Hell, just a little while ago she had thought she heard Danny talking on the phone on the roof, but it was-it was Phantom.

 _They have the same voices._

Maddie sobbed, a gruesome sound. There was no way, it wasn't possible, this just wasn't possible. But, if it was-

She didn't want to think about it. But, she had to know. Carefully, Maddie stood up, her hair and eyes wild, and she walked out of the lab, up the staircase, and, finally, stood in front of Danny's door.

And she opened it.

Danny lay there, sleeping. Breathing. Alive.

 _They even look the same._

Maddie wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare. She walked over to him.

Danny, her Danny, not-not whatever Phantom said he was, didn't move. Quickly, Maddie plucked a black hair out of his head, and, before he could react, got out of his room in a hurry.

She didn't want to stay longer than necessary.

In a daze, she walked back into the lab, and wiped off the terrible, dried blood on the electric table.

 _Danny's blood?_

 _I'm a monster._

 _I'm heartless._

 _I'm evil._

Maddie placed the single black hair on the table, and prayed that it would burn, or shrivel up, or just do nothing.

She pressed the button, closed her eyes, and waited a few seconds.

And she opened them.

The hair was white, a glowing white, identical to the white hair of Phantom. It even had a soft glow to it, just like-just like the ghost.

A tear ran down her face, and she sat down the hair again. Once more, she pressed the button, this time with her eyes open.

The hair glowed. The electric table turned off. The hair was black.

Maddie ran out of the lab, never looking back.

...

...

Danny Fenton. Phantom. Fenton. Phantom.

Maddie cried into her pillows. She had been in her bed all morning ever since last night. She wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, either. It was almost like-almost like she was _grieving_ for Danny, even though he was obviously still alive.

 _I almost cut him open. I wanted to cut him open. My poor baby. No wonder he didn't tell me, I'm terrifying!_

Danny heard her sobbing from the hallway. He was nervous, always nervous, but he loved his mom, and wanted her to be okay. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door, making Maddie jump from the sudden noise.

"Mom?"

Maddie put a hand over her mouth. She suddenly didn't know what to do. "Yes?" Maddie tried to keep her voice steady.

"Are you okay?" Danny wondered if she was gonna let him in. He wondered if he even wanted to go in.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm just," Maddie bit her lip. "Emotional."

Danny nodded. "Do you," He paused. "Need anything?"

 _Yes. Drugs._ "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Well, this is awkward. Danny sighed. "Okay. Let me know if you do."

"I will. Thank you."

Oh my god, it had never been so weird to talk to his _mom_. Ugh. "Okay."

Danny ran down the stairs. They didn't talk for the rest of the day.

The next day, the sun shined. Birds sang. It wasn't near as cold as it had been for the past few weeks. Maddie glared at the sunshine. It wasn't a time to be happy, or beautiful. Didn't the world know she was mourning?

Maddie hated her room more than ever now. It was just more walls, more distance between her and Danny. She couldn't bear to be in here any longer. It was a Sunday morning, so Danny should be home, but Maddie didn't know if she could face him right now.

But, she loves him. Maddie didn't know if she could stop loving him, ever. Even if he was Phantom, her most hated enemy, she loved him. He was her son.

Maddie opened her door, and let go of the breath she had been holding in when she realized that Danny wasn't in the hallway, or staircase, and he most definitely wouldn't be in the lab. Quickly, she almost ran down to the lab, and once again buried herself with work to do.

She took apart the most complex weapon they owned, and put it back together in little under two hours. Her belly rumbled. Maddie realized she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.

Once again, Maddie ran up to the kitchen after making sure she was alone. She grabbed the left over's from the other nights dinner, and carried them all into the lab. For the second time, Maddie stayed cooped up in one room, not daring to go out.

Until now.

Maddie was sick and tired of waiting and playing these games. Danny was her son. She loved him. And she wanted to talk to him. Mentally preparing herself, Maddie walked up into the third floor of the house, and stood in front of the door. That was now the only physical wall that separated them. She knocked on the door, and got no answer.

Knocked again. No answer.

Now worried, she called out his name. "Danny?"

No answer.

Maddie flew the door open to an empty bedroom. The window wasn't open, but now Maddie knew that, if her son and Phantom really were one and the same, he could've just gone intangible.

She shuddered. No mother wanted to think of their child as a ghost.

Realizing he wasn't there, Maddie ran downstairs, and rushed outside to get into the Fenton RV. She was going to find him, one way or another, this time. Quickly, while still driving, she called Sam and Tucker.

 _"Danny isn't here, he's with Sam."_

 _"Danny isn't here, he's probably with Tucker."_

Maddie hung up on them as soon as those words left their mouth.

A thought entered her mind as she realized she had left the ghost radar in the RV from last time. Leaning over to grab it, Maddie turned it on, and instantly saw the familiar, strong ecto-signature that let her know exactly which ghost she was looking at.

Phantom.

He was in the woods.

Maddie turned off on a back road, driving as fast as she could without accidentally wrecking. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing. When she gets to Phantom, Maddie told herself, I'll only bring a gun to be safe. Not to hurt him.

At least, that _is_ what she told herself.

The road turned into dirt, and soon she was only yards away from Phantom. Maddie stopped the vehicle, and began walking deep into the woods of Amity Park.

...

...

Danny heard the familiar, chaotic sound of the family vehicle before he saw it. That's when he remembered he should've changed back a long time ago. If he had, he wouldn't have been found by that stupid radar. It was too late now.

Leaves and sticks crushing and snapping reached his ears. She would find him. No, she's already found him, she just hasn't seen him yet.

Maddie walked carefully through the wood, watching for thorns and brier patches, until, suddenly, she was standing beside the tree that Danny was currently hiding in.

"Phantom?" Maddie called out, which made Danny confused. Why wasn't she threatening him?

That's when he realized that she was looking right up at him.

"Oh." Phantom cleared his throat. "Maddie, I know what you said, but I can't leave, alright?"

Maddie just watched him.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?" Phantom was getting annoyed. Maddie's heart broke even more when she realized that he was talking to her like an annoyed teenager would. Like Danny would.

"What?" He spat out. He had never liked being stared at. "I haven't been around your son anymore, or his friends. I promise." There was silence.

"Please, come down here." Maddie's voice was shaky. That's when Danny realized.

She knows.

"Um," Phantom bit his lip. His forehead was beginning to sweat, making his white hair stick to it. Carefully, and still keeping his distance, Danny flew down halfway, still not completely sure that she was going to play nice.

Maddie started to cry. "Danny, get down here right now and let me talk to you!" She demanded with tears streaming down her face.

Danny's breath caught in his throat, but he did so obediently. She was his mother, after all.

"You are Danny, right?" Maddie sniffed. _Please say no._

"I'm sorry." Danny looked down at his feet. He couldn't face her.

"Oh my god." Maddie gasped. "No. Oh, Danny, no." She buried her face in her hands. This was it. This was the moment it became real.

"Mom," Danny took a step closer. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how.

"I can't believe I almost," Maddie sobbed, finally looking up at him. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "How will you ever forgive me?"

"I've already forgiven you." Danny looked up at her, too. His green eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "You didn't know."

"I almost," Maddie shuddered. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No! Danny, you're a ghost! You know what that-that means," Her voice trailed off. She couldn't finish.

Danny's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You think I'm-? No, Mom, no. I'm alive."

"But, but you're a ghost."

Danny gulped, and carefully reached over to grab her hand. Maddie stayed perfectly still, trying not to think about how cold he was. Then, he brought her hand over to his chest, right above his heart.

And there, Maddie felt it beating quickly with nerves.

"You!" Maddie felt a relieved laugh build up inside her, so she let it out. "You're alive! You aren't-but, I don't get it. How?"

"I can show you, if you want." Danny said nervously, but he was happy now, too. She wasn't crying out of sadness anymore.

Maddie nodded, slowly. Then, a glowing light lit up around his waist, and traveled up down him to change his suit to shirt and jeans, his white hair to black, and his green eyes, blue. Maddie watched, fascinated, yet also in disbelief. Now, the son she had always known stood before her.

"That's incredible. How did this happen?"

"The accident. Dad put the "on" button inside the portal, and, well, I kinda pressed it."

"Danny! How many times have we told you not to mess around in the lab?" Maddie chastised.

"A lot?"

"Yeah!" Maddie shook her head. She couldn't help but smile.

"I just have so many questions. Where do I even start?"

"Mom, I know we have a lot to talk about, but can it wait till we're home?"

"Oh," Maddie grinned. "I suppose."

They walked back to the Fenton RV together, mother and son, and they never looked back.

...

 **THE END! I hope you enjoyed my little story! Please let me know if you did! -Lexi.**


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